Judgment on Egypt

46 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet (A)concerning the nations.

About Egypt. (B)Concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates at Carchemish and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in (C)the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

(D)“Prepare buckler and shield,
    and advance for battle!
(E)Harness the horses;
    mount, O horsemen!
Take your stations with your helmets,
    (F)polish your spears,
    put on your armor!
Why have I seen it?
They are dismayed
    and have turned backward.
Their (G)warriors are beaten down
    and have fled in haste;
(H)they look not back—
    (I)terror on every side!
declares the Lord.

“The swift cannot flee away,
    nor the warrior escape;
(J)in the north by the river Euphrates
    (K)they have stumbled and fallen.

“Who is this, (L)rising like the Nile,
    like rivers (M)whose waters surge?
Egypt rises like the Nile,
    like rivers (N)whose waters surge.
He said, ‘I will rise, I will cover the earth,
    I will destroy cities and their inhabitants.’
(O)Advance, O horses,
    and rage, O chariots!
Let the warriors go out:
    men of Cush and (P)Put who handle the shield,
    (Q)men of Lud, skilled in handling the bow.
10 (R)That day is the day of the Lord God of hosts,
    (S)a day of vengeance,
    (T)to avenge himself on his foes.
(U)The sword shall devour and be sated
    and drink its fill of their blood.
For the Lord God of hosts holds (V)a sacrifice
    (W)in the north country (X)by the river Euphrates.
11 (Y)Go up to Gilead, and take (Z)balm,
    O virgin daughter of Egypt!
In vain you have used many medicines;
    (AA)there is no healing for you.
12 The nations have heard of your shame,
    and the earth is full of your cry;
(AB)for warrior has stumbled against warrior;
    they have both fallen together.”

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ORACLES CONCERNING THE NATIONS

46 This is what the Lord told the prophet Jeremiah concerning the nations.

Prophecy against Egypt

About Egypt! A message for the army of Pharaoh Neco, Egypt’s king, which was defeated by Babylon’s Nebuchadnezzar at Carchemish near the Euphrates River in the fourth year of Judah’s King Jehoiakim, Josiah’s son:

Grab your shields
    and prepare for war!
Saddle the horses;
    mount the stallions!
Take your positions
    with helmets on!
Polish your spears;
    put on your armor!
Why do I see them terrified,
    retreating in haste?
Their soldiers are crushed,
    running for cover,
    and they don’t turn back.
Panic lurks at every turn,
        declares the Lord.
The swift can’t flee;
    the mighty can’t escape.
Up north by the Euphrates River,
    they stagger and fall.

Who is this that rises like the Nile,
    whose banks overflow?[a]
It’s Egypt that rises like the Nile,
    whose banks overflow,[b]
        who declares, “I will arise
        and cover the earth
        and destroy cities and inhabitants.”
Charge, you horses;
    advance, you chariots!
Attack, you soldiers
    with your shield in hand,
        you people of Cush and Put[c]
            with your bow drawn,
        you archers from Lud.

10 But that day belongs to the
    Lord God of heavenly forces;
        it’s a day of reckoning,
        settling scores with enemies.
The sword will devour
    until it has had its fill of blood.
The Lord God of heavenly forces
    is preparing a sacrifice in the north
        by the Euphrates River.
11 Go up to Gilead and seek balm,
    virgin Daughter Egypt.
You search out remedies in vain,
    for your disease is incurable.
12 Nations hear of your shame;
    the earth is filled with your sobs.
Soldier stumbles over soldier;
    together they go down.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 46:7 Or like rivers whose waters roar
  2. Jeremiah 46:8 Or like rivers whose waters roar
  3. Jeremiah 46:9 Traditionally Ethiopia and Libya